Seating structure



United States Patent 3,397,011 SEATING STRUCTURE Richard L. Slrlaar, 1550 Schuyler, Beverly Hills, Calif. 90210 Filed Oct. 27, 1966, Ser. No. 589,914 1 Claim. (Cl. 297-219) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Disclosed is a cover for bench type seating configurations which includes an extruded plastic member which fits over the top, sides and tucks into the bottom of the bench seating. End caps and covers adapted for attachment to the extruded cover are also disclosed.

This invention relates generally to seating apparatus and more particularly to bench type configuration and/or bleacher seating and to covering structures therefor.

Although the present invention finds particularly useful application in the field of stadium or bleacher seating and to permanent plastic covers therefor, and although in the cause of clarity and brevity of presentation, much of the following discussion and description of examples of the invention are directed theretoward, it is expressly to be understood that the advantages of the invention are equally well manifest in other seating applications such as, for example, park benches, yard seating, school dining table-bench sets, bus stop benches, indoor or outdoor theaters and amphitheaters, gymnasiums, schools sports arenas, and the like.

With regard then to the particular field of stadium seating, many of the problems incumbent therewith and not adequately solved by prior art approaches are well known both by artisans in the field as well as by members of the public who use such seating as patrons to public events held or performed in such stadiums or arenas. Typically, these seats are bench-like in nature and are either cast of concrete or similar substance, or are fabricated from wooden planks.

In the former category, the cast benches are not only costly either to pour in place because of the required forming or to install because of their great weight and fragility, but suffer the further disadvantage of their extreme hardness with regard to sitting on them or accidental bumping into them or falling onto them. Furthermore, such cast benches are highly apt to be uncomfortable with regard to their temperature, heat capacity and moisture content. In addition, if it is required or desired that the benches be colored, there is a costly maintenance problem in maintaining a satisfactory coating of paint thereon.

Wooden beiiches, on the other hand, afford satisfactory solutions to some of these disadvantages but sufier limitations of their own. For example, wooden planks present a severe maintenance problem in order to prevent deterioration of the wood, to maintain a satisfactory appearance, and to prevent the development of splinters which may injure the patron and damage his clothing. Furthermore, the wooden materials generally required exposed hardware which is unattractive and also capable of causing damage or injury. In addition, wood is subject to abrasion and impact damage which opens its surface to further damage and deterioration. Also, wooden materials are vulnerable to fire damage and may dangerously add to the spread of a theater or school fire.

Both cast and wooden benches are difficult or impossible to maintain in a reasonably sanitary condition if food and drink is consumed by personnel in the seating area. The substances of these materials are generally porous and constitute holding spaces for food particles wherein microorganisms may grow and multiply.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide improved seating structure which is not subject to these and other disadvantages and limitations of the prior art.

It is another object to provide such seating apparatus which is smooth, esthetically attractive, permanently maintenance-free, and which is exceedingly comfortable and safe for public seating as regards impact injury, thermo and moisture conduction, and which is impervious to and readily cleaned of any food substances.

It is another object to provide such apparatus which is substantially fire-proof.

It is another object to provide such structure which is highly economical to manufacture and install and which is versatile to many types of seating utilization.

It is another object to provide such apparatus which permits the elimination of all exposed hardware.

Very briefly, these and other objects are achieved in accordance with the structural features of one example of the invention which includes an elongate, substantially rigid plastic cover for a bench plank such as, for example, a two by fourteen pine or fir board. The board may be an element of new stadium or gymnasium bleacher construction or may be a fairly worn and deteriorated bleacher seat board which would otherwise, due to its poor condition, have to be replaced or extensively re paired.

Irrespective then of the condition or other character of the bench base member, the plastic cover, which may be an extruded figure many feet in length, includes a seat top portion which is adapted to be juxtaposed over the top surface of the board, side portions integrally formed or joined therewith for covering the front and rear board edges, and bottom retaining lip portions which return over both front and rear portions of the bottom of the board. The juncture between the top and side portions of the cover is formed to provide a gap between the board and the cover along the length of the upper portion of each edge of the board. This is formed by permitting the top portion of the cover to extend over and beyond the side edges of the board before returning downwardly and inwardly to the board edge. To reiterate, the top portion of the cover is contoured smoothly outwardly and downwardly in a bull nosed configuration rather than being returned at an abrupt angle downwardly along the edge of the board. Accordingly, approximately the upper one-half of the edge surfaces of the board are not in contact with the plastic cover.

The resulting air gap running along the entire front and rear edge of the board affords a deformable, resilient cushion for the otherwise sharp edges of the board. This is not only considerably more comfortable for the patron and the back of his knees, for example, but is relatively very safe with respect to impact injuries as from a patrons bumping or falling thereagainst.

Further details of these and other novel features of the invention including, for example, end capping of the plastic bench covers, with adjustable design to allow 12" to 5%", installing them, joining in abutting fashion a plurality of shorter lengths into longer sealed lengths, and providing additional filler material between the seat and the cover, for purposes of providing additional comfort and thermal insulation, as well as additional objects and advantages will become apparent and be best understood from a consideration of the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which is presented by way of illustrative example only and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an example of seating apparatus constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and shown installed in a stadium seating arrangement;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view thereof taken along the section reference lines 22 thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view thereof taken along the section reference lines 3-3 thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the structure of FIGURE 3 taken along the reference lines 44 thereof and illustrating an alternative modification thereof;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the structure of FIGURE 1 taken along the section reference lines 5-5 thereof; and

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the structure of FIGURE 1 taken as indicated and illustrating an alternative example thereof.

With specific reference now to the figures in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and structural concepts of the invention. In this regard no attempt is made to show structural details of the apparatus in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention. The description taken with the drawing will make it apparent to those skilled in the plastics and seating arts how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice. Specifically, the detailed showing is not to be taken as a limitation upon the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims forming, along with the drawing, a part of this specification.

In FIGURE 1 the example of the invention illustrated includes a pair of stadium seating members 10, 12 each afiixed to the forward edge of a stadium step 14, 16, re-

spectively, the rear portion 18, 20 of each step being adapted for foot space and patron lateral trafiic into the seating area as from a riser aisleway 22. The seating members 10, 12 may be mounted to the stadium steps 14, 16 by elevating support brackets 24, 26 which aid in functionally separating them from the walking spaces 18, 20 and provide additional kick space and toe area for the seat of a patron seated on the next higher and rearward seating member.

Each of the seating members is fitted with a cover body 28, 30, 32 which is shown in and discussed in detail in connectiton with the subsequent figures. A molded cap member 34, 36 is shown disposed over the ends of the cover bodies 28, 30, respectively, and a molded joining member 38 is shown disposed over the boundary between the abutted cover body 30, 32 on the seating member 12.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of the seating member 12 taken through the support bracket 26. The seating member comprises a solid bench seat body which, in this example, is a two by fourteen wood plank 40 which 1s atnxed to the support bracket 26 by a pair of mounting bolts 42, the head portions 44 of which are countersunk as shown to provide a flush top surface 46 for the plank 40. The bolts pass downwardly through the appropriate receding holes in the bracket 26 and are terminated with fastening nuts 48 to provide appropriate holding tension in the bolts.

The cover body 30 is formed, in this example, of a rigid, relatively high density plastic such as polyvinyl chloride, linear polyethylene, or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Alternatively, the cover body may be formed of sheet metal, such as aluminum, which is extruded or stamped into the desired cross-sectional configuration. The wall thickness of the cover body is substantially constant and is, in this example, of the order of .050 to .100 inch.

The cover body 30 includes a top, planar portion 48 and a pair of side portions 50, 52, formed integrally therewith. Similarly, a retaining, return lip portion 54, 56 is formed integrally with and joins at a 90 bend the lower portions of the side portions 50, 52 respectively.

The top portion 48 is of the character and dimensions to be disposed in a juxtaposed, substantially horizontally coextensive relation, over the top surface 46 of the plank 40. Similarly, the retaining lip portions 54, 56 are adapted to return snugly over the outer portions of a bottom surface 58 of the plank and may be compressively gripped, as shown, between the upper surface of the support bracket 26 and the juxtaposed portion of the plank 30 by virtue of the tension in the mounting bolts 42.

The transition regions 60, 62 between the side and top portions of the cover body 30 forms a contoured impact cushion gap 64, 66 caused by the bull-nosed top surface 48 overshooting or overhanging the side portions 50, 52 instead of turning sharply at a 90 boundary angle therewith. The relatively thin wall of the cover body 30 causes the transition region 68, 62 to be elastically or resiliently deformable with respect to impact blows thereagainst. Accordingly, not only is the covered seating member 12 much safer with regard to personnel injuries due to bumping or falling therea-gainst, but, in addition, the contoured edges are much more comfortable for seating and are esthetically more attractive and inviting.

The sectional view of FIGURE 3 illustrates that the end cap member .34 is molded to conform closely to the top, sides, and lip portions 48', 52, 54', 56', of the end portion of the cover body 28 as well as over the bottom, end portions 68 of the plank 40. In this example, alternatively or in addition to the retaining means formed by the compressively related support bracket 26 and plank 40 due to the tension in the bolt 42, metal fasteners such as nails 70 or other appropriate driven or screwed fastening means may be employed, as shown, to secure the cover body 28 to the plank 40.

Referring to FIGURE 4, a longitudinal sectional view of an alternative form of an end cap member 34 is illustrated which differs from the end cap 34 of the previous figures in that a stadium row and section identifying tab 72 is molded integrally with the remainder of the body of the end capping member. Onto this tab may be stencilled, embossed, adhered or perforated, the desired identification of the row and section identifying data. In FIG- URE 4 also are illustrated the end of the plank 40' showing longitudinal grain and the upper and lower portions 48', 54', respectively, of the cover body 28. The cap member 34 or 34' may be adhered and sealed to the cover body 28 as by solvent welding indicated at 74. The indicated bonding may alternatively be achieved by epoxy adhesive, ultra-sonic welding, or heat sealing.

Referring to FIGURE 5, the abutting boundary between the cover body 30 and the cover body 32 of the seating member 12 is shown covered and sealed by the molded plastic joint member 38. The joining member is seen to conform closely over the contoured cover body 32. The length of the joining member may be of the order of 3 inches and is preferably solvent welded to each of the abutting cover bodies 30, 32 and the end tab portions 76, 78 thereof may be additionally secured, as indicated, by the nail fasteners 80.

It may be noted that this portion of the seating member comprises a composite plank including a pair of contiguously and parallel disposed boards 82, 84. It is a feature of the cover bodies constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention that such aspects of composition, form, or condition of the bench seat body members are immaterial to the achievement of the objects of the invention. It is further to be noted that lengths of the cover bodies may readily be manufactured as long as desired and are limited only by considerations of handling. At present, stock lengths up to 40' feet are found to be practical for manufacture, marketing and installation.

Referring to FIGURE 6, a portion of an alternative example of the invention is illustrated in which a cushion or filler pad, blanket element 86 is disposed over the top surface 88 of a seating member plank 90 and is interposed in sandwich manner between the top portion 48 of the cover body 30 and the top of the plank.

The filler or pad element 86 may alford additional impact protection and comfort for the seated patron. In addition, the filler pad may, depending upon the choice of material of which it is fabricated, provide significant additional thermal insulation between the plank member 90 and the body of the seated patron. This aspect of the invention may, when employed in the combination, cause the seating members to be significantly cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Presently preferred materials for the cushion element 86 are felt, rubber, and foam plastic of various densities.

There have thus been disclosed and described a number of examples of seating apparatus which achieve the objects and exhibit the advantages set forth and discussed hereinabove.

What is claimed is:

1. Bench seat cover apparatus of the character to be disposed over top, edge, and bottom surfaces of a solid bench seat body member, the cover apparatus comprising:

at least first and second elongate, substantially rigid,

thin-wall cover bodies each having the form substantially of a figure of extrusion positioned in abutted end-to-end relation on said seat body member and further including:

a top surface portion adapted and dimensioned to cover in a juxtaposed relation thereto the top, seat surface of said solid bench seat body,

first side surface portion formed integrally with said top surface portion and being adapted to cover an edge surface of said solid bench seat body,

bull-nosed transition portion between said side and top surface portions being formed to include a contoured gap space between said transition portion and the upper portion of said edge surface of said solid bench seat body, whereby said gap space forms an impact elastically deformable cushion between said transition portion of said cover body and the upper portions of said edge surface of said sol-id bench seat body; first retaining lip return portion formed integrally with and joined to the bottom of said side portion and adapted to cover in juxtaposed fashion the outer portion of the bottom surface of said solid bench seat body; and a unitary, molded plastic joining member formed with a short length and having a cross-section similar to that of said cover bodies and being of the character to be disposed snugly over the boundary between said first and second cover bodies and further being adapted to be afiixed thereto.

FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner. 

